Newcastle's Trippier Announces England Retirement
England defender Kieran Trippier has revealed his retirement from international football at the age of 33, after earning 54 caps for his country, BBC reported. Trippier, who scored his only international goal against Croatia during the 2018 World Cup semi-final defeat in Moscow, expressed his gratitude and pride in representing England across four major tournaments.
As a Newcastle right-back, Trippier made his debut in 2017 under former manager Gareth Southgate. Throughout his international career, he also had the honor of captaining England three times. Reflecting on his journey, Trippier shared on social media, "I never thought as a young lad from Bury that I would play for my country, let alone achieve 54 caps. It’s been one of the biggest honors of my life to represent my country."
He continued by thanking Gareth Southgate and the England coaching staff, stating, "I want to say a big thank you to Gareth and all the staff that have worked with the England squad for the trust they have placed in me throughout the years." Trippier added a heartfelt message to his teammates, appreciating the significant moments they achieved together, including reaching two Euro finals and a World Cup semi-final. He expressed confidence in the future success of the current group of players.
Trippier started England’s first six matches at Euro 2024 but was replaced by Luke Shaw for the final. He also played as a regular starter in the Euro 2020 final defeat by Italy and was a key player at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
New interim coach Lee Carsley is set to announce his first squad for the upcoming Nations League matches against the Republic of Ireland and Finland. Trippier concluded by extending his best wishes to Carsley, the new coaching staff, and the team, saying, "I want to wish Lee, the coaching staff, and the team all the best for the future." He also expressed his gratitude to the England fans for their unwavering support, "traveling all over the world to support us and keeping us going in the difficult moments."
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